He's Here

And we're in complete love.

A L E X A N D E R    J O S E P H

August 23rd, 2012   ::   8 1/2 pounds   ::   21 inches 

Alexander the Late

Ok, so today's his due date and he's not technically late yet, but he most likely will be.  Do you know how long I've been pregnant?  Oh yeah, you prob. do.  The last week is so slowwww.  I had a minor false alarm on Friday, so that really got my expectations all out of whack and I try to tell myself I have another week, but it isn't working.  I guess this is just the beginning of him teaching me to be more patient.

I hope the next time I write I've got a bundle to show you.

And it doesn't look like he'll be a tiny one.

Alexander's Nursery

My new favorite place to be.

I love to decorate and have a side passion for interior design, but creating a room for your baby is extra special.  I guess it's part hormones and part me and part that I had to wait 7 months in Austria before we moved before I could do anything, but I thoroughly enjoyed this little project.

I wanted his nursery to be fun and colorful with lots of pieces that held special meaning to us. It also needed to be budget-friendly, so things were either DIYd, hand-me-downs, gifted or inexpensive.

There's quite a bit of Austria in here and also many things given to us especially for Alexander from friends and family near and far.  This little guy will know he's loved.  I sometimes come in here at night when my back hurts and sit in the glider and just relax and think.  I can't believe I will be holding him so soon.

Maybe if we write him more notes, he will come. :)

W H E R E    I T ' S    F R O M :

(in case curious minds would like to know)

Crib: Hand-me-down from Art's boss here. :)

(The color of the crib inspired the black chalkboard wall behind it.  I saw the photo below with a dresser the same wood color in front of a chalkboard wall and that was my inspiration.)

Giraffe photo: my sister actually found it and sent it to me.  The baby giraffe was born this past January at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay zoo.  I sent it to Shutterfly to be printed poster size.

Bunting flags: from my baby shower in Houston.

Shelves: Ikea Expedit

Mobile: etsy seller Martianique

Crib sheet: Amazon

Crib skirt: panels sewed by my mom with grosgrain ribbon trim

Rug: Urban Outfitters

Blankets: Blue one crocheted for Alexander by a family friend and the 'bebe' one is a 40-year old family heirloom of Art's from Puerto Rico.

Alexanderplatz poster: a poster I saw and snagged at a coffeeshop in Graz back in April since it had Alexander's name and cute drawings of Graz landmarks on it.  It was for a local play there.  I colored it with markers to make it more fun.

'My Roots Lie Here' poster: gift from etsy from my sweet sister, Molly.

Curtain: originally our shower curtain from West Elm that I moved in here.

Glider: Wal-Mart

Monogrammed Pillow: etsy seller CalicoDaisy

Sheepskin rug: Ikea.  Copied my sister

Stool: hand-me-down from my awesome neighbor here who knew it makes nursing 100x more comfy

Dresser: Ikea with new pulls added.  Copied from here.

Book ledges: Ikea 

Koala: from Graz Australian friends, Lee and Andrew.

Lederhosen man: from Austria, natürlich!

Drawer full of clothes: almost ALL hand-me-downs minus a few gifts.

Settling In

It's been a busy two months since our move to Pittsburgh.  Catching up on work, childbirth classes, buying a car, learning our way around, and mostly setting up house and home.  For having nothing when we arrived, I'm proud of our progress. 

I love doing this and I've been in turbo-nesting mode, but my bank account and physical state have forced a stopping point.  I'm sorta over it too.  Now it's time for baby.  I mean...come on out little lover!  Nursery is pretty much ready to go except for the glider which should arrive soon. 

When we first got here, I was a bit taken aback by the worn down state of our place, but it's grown on me...and once you add some love, the character here comes out.  One of my favorite parts being the fireplace. 

 I did purchase the grapewood branch and I think Art was like "oh, nice, now you're buying sticks."

The porch is another fave, which pup enjoys as a lookout point as well.  I've invested in a bench glider for baby time out here.  Will possibly plant some flowers (for the first time in my life) in those planters this weekend.

So, we're here and waiting...

and we could be on our buns for a month doing so.